Saturday, May 16, 2015

The United States of Injustice

Innocence is no defense. Juries are pressured to convict. Evidence when absent is invented. Lack of proof doesn't matter.

Thousands of political prisoners languish in America's gulag - at home and abroad. Thousands more are imprisoned for misdemeanors too minor to matter - ones for which just societies wouldn't tolerate incarceration.

Wrongful convictions are longstanding US practice - including numerous victims sentenced to capital punishment for crimes they didn't commit.

His conviction was almost entirely based on convoluted testimony from one dubious witness unable get his account of events straight - plus photos showing the Tsarnaev brothers present near the Boston marathon finish line. So were hundreds of others charged with no crime.

On Friday, Dzhokhr was sentenced to death despite no evidence proving guilt. Ironically, he was the first post-9/11 federal capital punishment victim.

Lead prosecuting attorney Carmen Ortiz praised what she called "a fair and just verdict."

"Even in the wake of horror and tragedy, we are not intimidated by acts of terror or radical ideals," she said.

"On the contrary, the trial of this case has showcased an important American ideal that even the worst of the worst deserve a fair trial and due process of law."

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch called capital punishment for Tsarnaev "a fitting punishment."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he hoped the verdict "provides a small amount of closure" for survivors.

Tsarnaev's father, Anzor, said he intends to "fight (the verdict) until the end." Dzhokhar is the latest homeland war on terror victim - unjustly charged, wrongfully convicted.

So were FBI agents - before the incident occurred. Media scoundrels ignored what was vital to report. Doing so would have compromised the official story. Older brother Tamerlan might be alive today. Dzhokhar might never have been convicted.

Fear-mongering replaced truth and full disclosure. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan were used as convenient patsies.